Garment blocking



061i. 2], 1969 J, BAlLY ETAL 3,473,245

GARMENT BLOCKING Filed July 12, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 STIAN KING JC/K H. 54/4 Y 4 5 7' E /Q[. //VG INVENTORS FIG: 1,

3,473,245 I 21 1969 J. H. BAILY ETFAL Get. LOCKING GARMENT B sheet 9 2 Sheets- Filed July 12. 1967 $45k H 54/1 Y nited States Patent 3,473,245 GARMENT BLOCKING Jack H. Baily, Studio City, and Eli Sterling, Los Angeles, Calif., assignors to Steam Sales 8: Service Co., Los Angeles, Calif, a corporation of California Filed July 12, 1967, Ser. No. 652,923 Int. Cl. 1306f 71/32; G011) 3/04 US. Cl. 38141 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to the blocking of garments and more particularly relates to articles and a method for facilitating and enabling the proper blocking of knitted garments.

Within the last several years knitted goods have become prevalent in the American market. Examples, of such knitted goods are sweaters, dresses, skirts, of knitted wool, synthetic fibers, blends, and so forth. As is generally known, such garments have a tendency to stretch or shrink when cleaned. In order to restore the garment to an appropriate size sometimes a tape measure or yardstick is employed during pressing of the garment. Typical personnel performing the pressing or blocking operation in a dry cleaning or laundering establishment generally do not have sufficient practice or experience to block the garment to its original or desired shape.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an article for facilitating the proper blocking of a garment.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide an apparatus for facilitating the proper blocking of a garment.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method for enabling a garment to be properly blocked.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will be better understood through a consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the attached drawing in which FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a blocking grid on a cover or board in accordance with the concepts of the present invention; and

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a conventional steaming table.

Turning now to the drawings, FIGURE 1 illustrates a blocking grid 10 on a member 11 which may be a cover or a board. The grid may be on a board for facilitating determining the proper or desired size of a garment before it is cleaned and blocked, and on a cover used on a steaming table or press for enabling the garment to be blocked to the original or desired size. The board may be a planar member formed of any suitable material, such as cardboard or fiberboard, with the blocking grid 10 printed thereon. The cover may be formed of any suitable material, such as a filament nylon fabric or cotton, with the blocking grid 10 silk-screened thereon.

The blocking grid 10 includes horizontal lines 12 and vertical lines 13 dividing the same into one inch squares 14, with each square having a numerical indicia thereon.

c ice It will be noted that starting from the top of the grid 10 the squares are numbered consecutively 1-30 in one inch increments. This enables the proper length of a garment to be ascertained. From the center vertical line, or middle 15 of the grid, the squares are numbered 1-14 consecutively to the right and to the left as shown, rather than being numbered consecutively from one end or the other. This arrangement enables the garment to be placed on the grid with its axis along any vertical line rather than on the center line 15 such that the numbers at the edges of the garment may be added together to determine the width thereof.

FIGURE 2 illustrates a conventional steaming table 20 having apertures in the checkered area 21 through which steam may flow. A fabric cover having the blocking grid 10 thereon is positioned over the table portion 22 of the steaming table 20. For this purpose, the cover may be slightly larger than the table portion 22 and have a draw string or the like around the periphery of the cover for securing the same to the table portion. As is well known, in conventional blocking or pressing of a garment the garment is placed upon the table portion 22, steam is applied through the garment, and then through a succession of light or medium blows or taps with a blocking pad, mitt or beater the garment is blocked. After the garment has been saturated with steam and has been properly blocked, the moisture is sucked out of the garment by a vacuum applied through the garment by the steaming table. The garment may then be hung up or packaged in a conventional manner. It should be understood that the concepts of the present invention are equally applicable to use of a press having a floating head (top) whether or not the head is employed in the pressing operation.

In order to best ensure that the garment is properly blocked, a blocking grid is provided on a board or counter top within a dry cleaning or laundering establishment such that the original, or desired, size of a garment can be determined and noted prior to cleaning and blocking thereof. Thus, upon receipt of a garment the same is laid upon the blocking grid and smoothed. The left and right measurements of the garment, for example sleeve measurements and bust measurements, are noted from the grid and added together. The length is measured by noting the appropriate number appearing along the left or right hand margin of the grid. These measurements may be recorded on the customer slip or invoice. After cleaning the garment, the same is placed upon a blocking grid on a cover on the steaming table 15. The measurements on the slip or invoice are then used in positioning and adjusting the size of the garment on the blocking grid in accordance with the prior measurements. The garment is then blocked or pressed in a conventional manner. When desired, the blocking grid on the board or counter also enables the customer to check the garment at the time it is picked up to ensure that it has been properly blocked.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms not departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The concepts thereof also may be employed in knitting mills in addition to dry cleaning and laundering establishments.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for facilitating the proper blocking of a garment, comprising:

a steam table having means for directing steam through a garment thereon, and;

a steam pervious fabric cover overlying and releasably secured to said table, said cover having a blocking grid delineated thereon, including a series of evenly spaced parallel horizontal lines extending thereacross with measurement numerals arranged serially along a side of said grid to identify respective horizontal 1,228,973 6/1917 Scherrer 33184.5 lines and a series of evenly spaced parallel vertical 1,162,738 12/ 1915 Ballard 22369 X lines extending Lhereacross with consecutive measure- 1,536,637 5/1925 Thurnauer 38-1 ment numerals extending horizontally from the cen- 2,160,337 5/1939 McKee 38-l41 ter of said grid along each of said horizontal lines to 6 2,114,433 4/ 1938 Smith 223-09 the respective edges thereof to identify respective vertical lines. MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner GEORGE V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 US. Cl. X.R.

1,182,487 5/1916 Huebner 33 1s4.5 1,205,879 11/1916 Felten. 

